<What? What do you mean they’re gone?>
<I don’t know… we.. we can’t find them!>
<How is this possible? An entire group of dragons goes missing? Have you made contact with the Moon God?>
<I’m afraid to say this but… we are unable to locate the whereabouts of the Moon God. Their abode is gone. Everyone is gone.>
Tsukuyomi slowly opened his eyes. His head was pounding, and his mind was foggy. Was that a dream? he thought. There’s no way what he saw was true. It sounded ridiculous. He tried to brush it off, though the headache was not subsiding. Tsukuyomi needed to prepare for the day.
Today, he would be undergoing the “specialized training” that the instructor had mentioned. The young dragon had no idea what it entailed. The Moon dragons were always the secretive type it seems. Easier to keep a secret when there’s less bodies to share it with. Kagutsuchi would also be starting his training. Tsukuyomi wasn’t worried about his brother. Whatever the training is, he would be okay. He just needed to worry about himself.
Climbing out of his bed and walking out of his room, Tsukuyomi nearly collided with Kagutsuchi in the hallway. As always, there was a smile. “Tsukuyomi! Are you excited for today?” The former nodded faintly. In truth, excitement was not the forefront of Tsukuyomi’s current feelings. Kagutsuchi seemed to catch that and added, “Everything will be fine, alright?” Kagutsuchi nodded and walked in front. Yes, everything will be fine.
“I’m sorry, but there’s been a bit of an.. incident. You won’t be starting your training today.” Those were the first words Tsukuyomi heard upon arriving at the school. “But we will need to keep a close eye on you, so please follow me.” Tsukuyomi wanted to protest, but a dreadful thought suddenly hit him. That dream. It couldn’t be. Was it not a dream but… a vision? No no no. No way.
“Come on, what are you waiting for?” The instructor was staring at the frozen Tsukuyomi. “Ah, yes sir..” Tsukuyomi’s steps were heavy. His body was on autopilot while his mind was racing. Where was he being taken? Should he tell the instructor about the dream? What is Kagutsuchi doing right now? Tsukuyomi shook his head. This was not the time to be thinking about him. He immediately noticed that he was not being taken inside of the school, but to the edge of the floating island it stood on.
“Fly with me. Our destination is elsewhere.” Tsukuyomi glanced at the school behind him. Kagutsuchi was somewhere in there with the other students. He would be leaving him behind.
The instructor didn’t allow second opinions when he took to the sky right away. “Wait!” Tsukuyomi quickly ran and slammed his feet onto the ground to take off. They soared past the sea of clouds that separated each island. In no time, they arrived at a large island with a circular stone structure implanted into the ground and surrounded by tall pillars. Tsukuyomi knew what this place was. It was a portal that teleported up to the middle level of the Heavenly Realm. But why were they here? To ascend, one would need a special rite of passage to get through. Unless…
“Uh, pardon me sir, but are we going up to the next level? I don’t believe I’m qualified…” The instructor gazed at Tsukuyomi with stern, unreadable eyes.
“Oh, don’t worry, you are very much qualified now. Come.” He dragged the young dragon to the center of the structure. The sigils engraved in the stone circle began to light up at Tsukuyomi's claws. Huh? That shouldn’t be possible. Normally, if he stood here, nothing would happen. When did he suddenly…? Shwooo…
A bright light engulfed Tsukuyomi. And when he reopened his eyes, an overwhelming presence loomed over him. “We’ll take him from here.” Before he knew it, Tsukuyomi was completely immobilized. A golden sphere had formed around him and he was stuck floating in the middle of it. He frantically looked around with his eyes to get a sense of what was going on. What came into his vision immediately was two dragons much much larger than him, who seemed to be transporting him somewhere. Even he, who had never encountered one, could tell that these two were indeed Fabled. They had transcended and acquired everything they would want in life. And yet, why was something like that meddling with a young dragon who has yet to realize anything about the world? Tsukuyomi asked himself this, but the answer had already been given to him.
The middle level was essentially a massive training ground for those that desire to achieve something greater. It was not a residential area for the public and could only serve as housing for those training here, namely Fabled dragons. Some other facilities did exist here. For example, the one that Tsukuyomi just got thrown into. It was a place called The Sanctuary. The name might sound nice, but in actuality, it was much closer to a prison or a ward than a safe haven. It was constructed here in order to contain those who went mad while trying to achieve transcendence.
“You will stay here for the time being. Don’t try anything.” The Fabled dragon’s booming voice rang inside Tsukuyomi’s head. Tsukuyomi already concluded that he was currently being monitored here. Of course, unbeknownst to him, chaos was brewing elsewhere from the mass disappearance. Even the Ryuo were getting involved and planned an emergency meeting, something that almost never happens in a thousand years. Now, the only moon dragon left was the newly awakened Tsukuyomi. Perhaps it was because he hadn’t met his fellow brethren yet and indulged in their secrets. Though the reason for the disappearance was still unclear. What situation could cause even the Ryuo of the Moon and their entire dimension to vanish into thin air? This was unheard of.